Common Core State Standards Initiative Update: Over 30 States Adopt National Education Standards

William A. Estrada, Esq.
Director of Federal Relations

Melanie Palazzo
Congressional Action Program Director

August 5, 2010

Over the past several months, states have been steadily adopting the national education standards that the National Governor's Association released. Adopting these standards allows states to be eligible for additional federal funds. Over 30 states have now adopted these standards allowing more centralized, federal involvement into educational decisions.

HSLDA is concerned about the federal incentives the states can receive upon adopting these standards. History suggests that greater involvement by the government in the daily lives of citizens results in less freedom.

HSLDA believes that national education standards will not increase academic achievement in public schools. Education works best when parents collaborate with their local school board to develop standards and curriculum that are in the best interest of the local community. A one-size-fits-all approach is a major reason for the current state of public education today.

Parental involvement is a significant factor in the quality of education. The push for national education standards places decision-making in the hands of national policy makers, reducing—and in some cases eliminating—parental and local control.

Although national education standards will have no immediate impact on homeschoolers, we remain concerned that follow-on policy initiatives could require that private schools and homeschools adhere to these standards. Because of an amendment (which HSLDA helped author) to the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act , federal law currently protects homeschoolers by preventing the federal government from imposing education standards on private schools and homeschools unless they take government funding. Our objective is to retain these protections in the face of increasing efforts to nationalize educational policy.

Action Requested:

To find out whether your state has adopted the national common core standards visit this website’s useful map.

Contact your state legislators, including the governor, to discuss this issue with them. Ask them about their position on the issue.

If you have a governor’s election coming up in your state, we encourage you to raise this issue with the candidates. Even if a state has already adopted the national education standards, a new governor will be faced with the costs of implementing these new standards and new accountability to the federal government.

Because this affects all parents, it is not necessary to identify yourself as a homeschooler.